Method and system for advanced patient communication

ABSTRACT

A method and system for advanced patient communication have been disclosed. According to one embodiment, a computer-implemented method comprises providing a patient communication device through which a patient communicates a first message from a hospital bed. The first message is received at a central processing server. The first message is processed to identify an urgency level of the message. One or more additional messages are generated based on the first message. The one or more additional messages are transmitted to specific health care provider devices of specific health care providers who are expected to respond to the patient.

The present application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 11/778,974 filed on Jul. 17, 2007, which claims thebenefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No.60/831,235 entitled “Advanced Patient Communication System (APaCS)”filed on Jul. 17, 2006, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application61/568,073 entitled “Advanced Patient Nurse Call Devise” filed on Dec.7, 2011, and are hereby, incorporated by reference.

Funding Agency: National Institutes of Health, Institute for Minoritiesand Health Disparities. Federal Grant Number 1R41MD006149-01. Phase ISTTR Project Title: Advancing Patient Call Light Systems to AchieveBetter Outcomes.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The field of the invention relates generally to computer systems andmore particularly relates to a method and system for advanced patientcommunication and healthcare provider communication. More particularly,the present system is in the technical field of nurse call systems.

BACKGROUND

Characteristic of cardiothoracic surgery is the post-operative patientwho is sent to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) intubated due torespiratory requirements. Approximately half of these patients areextubated within their first twenty-four post-operative hours. In mostcases these patients are extubated within the first three days. Thereare some, however, who remain intubated for a significant length oftime. When a surgeon identifies a patient who requires intubation longerthan seven days, the surgeon will usually decide to perform atracheotomy on that patient. The breathing support tube enters thetrachea rather than entering the mouth for the trached patient.Communication for a intubated or trached patient is minimal due to theinability to speak resulting in the patient, hospital staff and lovedones resorting to the reading of lips, nodding of heads and squeezing ofhands to communicate.

Without effective communication, the intubated or trached patient maynot receive the standard of care he or she would otherwise receive hadhe or she been able to effectively communicate. The lack ofcommunication also creates unnecessary levels of anxiety which thepatient must endure. Nurses and hospital staff ask many questions fromthe patient pertaining to their prognosis and progress which may neverget fully or even adequately answered. A doctor or nurse is not able totreat a symptom which they know little or nothing about. In addition,other problems arise due to the insufficient communication from thepatient. Localized areas of pain are often mis-diagnosed, resulting inover-medication generally or the medication of an area which is not thesource of pain. Proper and essential treatment given in an adequate andtimely manner will help resolve or prevent many post-operativecomplications and decrease the patient's length of stay in the hospital.This begins with providing the patient a clear and precise means ofcommunication.

Another problem exists in that currently patients are subjected topushing a button or call light, which turns on a light in the hallway atthe doorway to their room. Nurses have no way of identifying whether thepatient's need is urgent or non-urgent. Additionally, the nurse isunable to prepare him/herself for the need appropriately before enteringthe room. Instead, the nurse must go to the patient's room, be informedof the problem or need and then leave the patient's room and retrievewhatever resources are necessary for the nurse to fulfill the patient'sneed or request. This is extremely time-consuming, wastes precioushospital resources, and can delay meeting patient's needs. This problemcan be detrimental to the patient when the need is of an urgent matter.Unless the patient can scream loud enough to be heard from wherever helpmay be, the patient is subjected to wait until someone responds to acommon light at the patient's doorway.

Moreover, current systems lack a patient-centric device for the bedsideinterface (e.g., pillow speaker); and, only a few nurse call systemsprovide an opportunity for patients to convey specific messages directlyto their assigned providers.

Furthermore, eighty percent of hospitals care for patients with limitedEnglish proficiency (LEP) on a regular basis, and despite advancementsin the profession of healthcare interpreting and translation services(aka, Language Access Services), patients with language barriers areoften left without an effective means to communicate with theirproviders. While best practice, clinical ethics and legal and regulatoryguidelines recommend the use of professional interpreters for allhealthcare encounters, logistics and resource capacity make thisprohibitive. Reasons cited by hospital staff for not using professionalinterpreters include resources available to bridge the language barrierare not user friendly; resources are not easily accessible; staff areunaware of the resource and have not been trained. Despite thesedisadvantages, nurse call systems do not provide a means for LEPpatients to generate a nurse call request in the patient's preferredlanguage.

Accordingly, it has been estimated that inefficient communication costsU.S. hospitals more than $12 billion annually or $4 million for each 500bed hospital. In summary, nurse call systems have been the primary meansfor hospitalized patients to initiate an encounter from the bedside.However, these nurse call patient requests range in urgency, are notdifferentiated based on skill-set required to fulfill the patientrequest, and are not equitable for LEP patients. Further, theseshortcomings prohibit effective communication with LEP patients and cancontribute to poorer outcomes compared to their English-speakingcounterparts.

SUMMARY

A method and system for advanced patient communication are disclosed.According to one embodiment, a computer-implemented method comprisesproviding a patient communication device through which a patientcommunicates a first message from a hospital bed. The first message isreceived at a health care provider device. The first message isprocessed to identify an urgency level of the message. One or moreadditional messages are generated based on the first message. The one ormore additional messages are transmitted to specific health careprovider devices of specific health care providers who are expected torespond to the patient.

The present system also disclosed a solution that leverages an advancedpillow speaker and receiving devices seeking to achieve immediatetransparency for care providers of what patients need when pressing thecall button as well as optimal efficiency in nursing by routing the needto the best provider based on the context of the specific message andthe qualified skill necessary to fulfill the request or perform the taskbeing requested.

The above and other preferred features, including various novel detailsof implementation and combination of elements, will now be moreparticularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings andpointed out in the claims. It will be understood that the particularmethods and systems described herein are shown by way of illustrationonly and not as limitations. As will be understood by those skilled inthe art, the principles and features described herein may be employed invarious and numerous embodiments without departing from the scope of theteachings herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included as part of the presentspecification, illustrate the presently preferred embodiment of thepresent invention and together with the general description given aboveand the detailed description of the preferred embodiment given belowserve to explain and teach the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary system for advancedpatient communications, according to one embodiment;

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary computer architecture for use with thepresent system, according to one embodiment; and

FIG. 3. illustrates an exemplary communications process, according toone embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of an exemplary advanced pillowspeaker, according to one embodiment.

FIGS. 5A-5I are exemplary care provider view interfaces within a phoneapplication that displays nurse call activity and other pertinentpatient information on handheld devices, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an exemplary interface of a nursing station whiteboard thatdisplays the nurse call activity by provider, patient room, number ofrequests cued up by provider and context of each call request, accordingto one embodiment.

FIG. 7 is an exemplary main screen interface displaying categoricalicons within an exemplary advanced pillow speaker, according to oneembodiment.

FIGS. 8A-D illustrate exemplary sub-categorical interfaces within anexemplary advanced pillow speaker, according to one embodiment.

It should be noted that the figures are not necessarily drawn to scaleand that elements of similar structures or functions are generallyrepresented by like reference numerals for illustrative purposesthroughout the figures. It also should be noted that the figures areonly intended to facilitate the description of the various embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A method and system for advanced patient communication are disclosed.According to one embodiment, a computer-implemented method comprisesproviding a patient communication device through which a patientcommunicates a first message from a hospital bed. The first message maybe transmitted directly to a health care provider device(s) and/or maybe received at a central processing server. The first message may beprocessed to identify urgency level of the message and/or appropriatedestination(s) for the request. The first message may also originatefrom a healthcare provider or a central processing server. One or moreadditional messages are generated based on the first message. The one ormore additional messages are transmitted to devices of specific healthcare providers who are expected to respond to the patient and may alsobe transmitted back to the patient.

In the following description, for purposes of explanation, specificnomenclature is set forth to provide a thorough understanding of thevarious inventive concepts disclosed herein. However, it will beapparent to one skilled in the art that these specific details are notrequired in order to practice the various inventive concepts disclosedherein.

The present invention also relates to apparatus for performing theoperations herein. This apparatus may be specially constructed for therequired purposes, or it may comprise a general-purpose computerselectively activated or reconfigured by a computer program stored inthe computer. Such a computer program may be stored in a computerreadable storage medium, such as, but is not limited to, any type ofdisk including USB drives, internal or external hard drives, floppydisks, optical disks, CD-ROMs, magnetic-optical disks, read-onlymemories, random access memories, EPROMs, EEPROMs, magnetic or opticalcards, or any type of media suitable for storing electronicinstructions, and each coupled to a computer system bus.

The methods presented herein are not inherently related to anyparticular computer or other apparatus. Various general-purpose systemsmay be used with programs in accordance with the teachings herein, or itmay prove convenient to construct more specialized apparatus to performthe required method steps. The required structure for a variety of thesesystems will appear from the description below. In addition, the presentinvention is not described with reference to any particular programminglanguage. It will be appreciated that a variety of programming languagesmay be used to implement the teachings of the invention as describedherein.

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary system 100 foradvanced patient communications, according to one embodiment. System 100includes a number of patient communication devices 110. In the contextof a hospital, each patient's bed includes a patient communicationdevice 110 that may be an electronic bedside, flat screen monitor. Oneembodiment can be attached to a waterproof sealed keyboard. Additionalinput devices may be used for patients with limited or minimal movement.These patient communication devices 110 may have a sealed push button,lever, jog dial, or a combination of these input devices. According toanother embodiment, the input device is a touch pad screen.

The patient communication device 110 may also have a card readerattached to read a card carried by the staff to indicate when they haveresponded to a call. In this respect, a nurse or other care provider cancarry a card (card with a magnetic stripe, proximity, smart card) andswipe it. This method would serve to prevent the patient fromaccidentally clearing the request, and reduce the interaction with thepager, which might be cumbersome and time-consuming, used more oftenwhen requests require specific feedback. Monitoring-only stationsconfigured in this manner could be placed throughout the floor for “fastresponse”.

One embodiment of the patient communication device 110 allows itsmonitor to sit directly on a flat surface, such as a bedside table. Inanother embodiment, the monitor is attached to a swiveling arm extendingfrom the wall so that it can be extended to various distances from thewall and heights from the floor, thus adapting to the patient'sposition.

In one embodiment, the patient communication device 110 allowselectronic communication of the physical and emotional status of thepatient. Words and phrases such may be selected in the display of device110 as “I AM: HOT/COLD, THIRSTY, HUNGRY, TIRED, LIGHT-HEADED, NAUSEOUS,ANXIOUS, NERVOUS, BETTER, WORSE, DIRTY/WET, HAPPY/SAD”. Additionalscreens and prompts allow the patient to select words and phrases suchas “I WANT: WATER/ICE, CALL LIGHT/TV, TO TURN, LEFT/RIGHT, TO LIE DOWN,A BLANKET, TO SLEEP, BATH/SHAMPOO, A BEDPAN, TO CLEAN MYMOUTH/TEETH/FACE/HANDS.” Words such as “YES/NO, EXPLAIN, CALL, NURSE,SUCTION, LOTION, GLASSES, FAMILY, INSURANCE, LIGHT, ON/OFF, WHEN?, WHY?,WHERE?, WHO?, HOW?, WHAT?” are listed for selection if the health careprovider verbally questions the patient, and the patient respondsthrough device 110.

According to one embodiment, patient communicator device 110 alsoprovides a grid imprinted with individual letters of the alphabet andthe numbers 0-9. Universal characters and symbols may also be used toselect text in lieu of keyboard input. The device 110 may also provide ascreen that displays an image of the anterior body picture with the word“FRONT” underneath, and the posterior body picture with the word “BACK”underneath it. Between the two bodies are descriptive words to expressphysical experiences relating to any part of the human body. Theseinclude the words and phrases: “THIS PART OF MY BODY: ITCHES, ACHES,STINGS, CAN'T MOVE, CAN'T MOVE, HURTS, BURNS, CRAMPS, THROBS, IS NUMB,PAIN MEDICINE”. In addition, at the bottom, a nationally establishedpain scale lists: “PAIN SCALE: 012345678910” and the following wordsindicating a correlation with the degree of pain: “NO PAIN, SLIGHT PAIN,MODERATE PAIN, SEVERE PAIN, WORST PAIN”.

According to one embodiment, each word, phrase and symbol listed on theabove mentioned screen layouts activates a computer operated voicedictation of the messages through a built-in speaker 40 when touched.The patient communication device 110 has several menu options includingchoice of language, pediatric variations, and voice style options suchas male or female and adult or child computerized voices. The patientcommunication device 110 may also be used by a doctor or nurse as achart, or to display an electronic form of the patient's chart.Additionally, the patient communication device 110 can be used by thedoctor or nurse to order procedures, consults, medications, and indicatethat treatments, consultations, examinations, and other procedures havebeen completed.

According to one embodiment, patient communication device 110 is a menudriven touch-screen device. It includes a menu that is a touch-screenkeyboard for manual text entry. Patient communication device 110 mayeither be wireless or have a wire connection to the hospital network.Patient communication device 110 works with a variety of languages andis capable of input and output translation between them. According toone embodiment, patients check medications, schedules, and diagnosis inaddition to other information about themselves directly through thepatient communication device 110. Patient communication device 110includes the following capabilities:

-   -   a. Panic button located on patient communication device 110,        simple use but hard to accidentally trigger        -   i. Goes directly to assigned nurse or team of nurses and            communication server 120    -   b. Patient communication device 110 may have an integrated        speaker and microphone        -   i. Patient can send voice messages to nurse. Message            automatically goes to nurse or team of nurses assigned to            patient. A time stamp and bed number are automatically            attached to the voice message. Voice recognition may convert            voice to text and/or translate message.        -   ii. Patient can respond to voice messages sent from nurse,            doctor, and base station Speech recognition may convert            voice to text and/or translate message.        -   iii. Patient can hear voice messages sent from nurse,            doctor, and base station. Voice recognition may convert            voice to text and/or translate message.        -   iv. Option to use the microphone and speaker to enable use            of a patient communication device 110 as a mobile phone for            patient to make and receive calls through hospital network            and/or an outside cellular carrier.            -   1. Board may have ability to accept SIM card.    -   c. Adjustable ring and vibration alert for message waiting    -   d. Read self-information        -   i. Patient can walk through menus that display select            elements of their own patient_data    -   e. Make a request (goes to assigned nurse or team of nurses and        monitored by communication server 120)        -   i. Automatic return address and timestamp added to request        -   ii. Menu of requests (i.e. water, medication, blanket . . .            )            -   1. Option to hand enter special requests        -   iii. Menu of urgency (i.e. ASAP, 5 min, 15 min, in next            hour, today, information only—no response needed)    -   f. Read response to request    -   g. Read a reminder/announcement sent from nurse communication        device 140, doctor communication device 130, or communication        server 120 (no response requested)    -   h. Read an informational request sent from nurse communication        device 140, doctor communication device 130, or communication        server 120    -   i. Respond to an informational request from nurse communication        device 140, doctor communication device 130, or communication        server 120        -   i. Automatic return address and timestamp added to response        -   ii. Menu of typical responses        -   iii. Option to hand enter response    -   j. Optional capabilities        -   i. Read/send text messages to cell phones (optional, may be            fee based)        -   ii. Games may be ported to the boards        -   iii. May have internet capability

System 100 also includes a number of healthcare provider communicationdevices, including doctor communication devices 130 and nursecommunication devices 140. Doctor communication device 130 and nursecommunication device 140 allow for communication with the patientcommunication device 110, so that nurses and doctors may respond torequests from the patient for treatment, etc. According to oneembodiment, doctor and nurse communication devices 130, 140 take theform of interactive pagers [patient-healthcare provider paging system],a central communication workstation or PC, PDAs, tablet PCs,videophones, laptops, smart phones, mobile phones, game devices such asthe PSP manufactured by Sony Electronics, multimedia devices such asiPods and iPhones manufactured by Apple Computers of Cupertino, Calif.,or similar devices. Devices 130 and 140 may be fully web enabled, suchthat the interface is provided through a web browser. In an alternateembodiment, devices 130 and 140 execute software applications to performthe present methods.

The nurse 140 and doctor 130 communication devices have several menuoptions including choice of language, pediatric variations, and voicestyle options such as male or female and adult or child computerizedvoices. The nurse 140 and doctor communication devices 130 may also beused as a chart, or to display an electronic form of the patient'schart. Additionally, the nurse 140 and doctor communication devices 130can be used by the doctor or nurse to order procedures, consults,medications, and indicate that treatments, consultations, examinations,and other procedures have been completed.

According to one embodiment, the doctor communication device 130 is awireless device that may work through a wireless provider, the hospitalnetwork, and/or a stand alone system. It works with a variety oflanguages and is capable of input and output translation between them.Doctor communication device 130 includes the following capabilities:

-   -   a. doctor communication device 130 may have an integrated        speaker and microphone        -   i. Doctor can send voice messages to any patient, nurse,            other doctor, or base station. Message automatically has a            time stamp, doctor name and doctor ID linked to it.        -   ii. Doctor can respond to voice messages sent from patient,            nurse, other doctor, and base station.        -   iii. Doctor can hear voice messages sent from patient,            nurse, doctor, and base station        -   iv. Option to use the microphone and speaker to enable use            of doctor communication device 130 as a mobile phone for            doctor to make and receive calls through hospital network            and/or an outside cellular carrier.            -   1. Pager may have ability to accept SIM card.    -   b. Adjustable ring and vibration alert for message waiting        -   i. Different alert for ASAP Requests and Panic signal from            patient communication device 110    -   c. Read nursing_staff_assignments        -   i. Can also search by zone, sub-zone, nurse name or nurse ID    -   d. Read patient_data for any patient        -   i. Choice of multiple look-up fields such as patient name,            patient ID, bed number, doctor ID . . .    -   e. Change/update patient_data fields (some may be reserved)        -   i. Choice of multiple look-up fields such as patient name,            patient ID, bed number, doctor ID . . .    -   f. Monitor patient/nurse communications    -   g. Send a reminder/announcement to a patient        -   i. Automatic return address and timestamp added        -   ii. Choice of multiple look-up fields such as patient name,            patient ID, bed number, doctor ID . . .        -   iii. Can send to groups of patients (i.e. all maternity, all            patients of a given doctor)        -   iv. Menu of typical reminders and announcements            -   1. Option to hand enter a reminder or announcement    -   h. Send an informational request        -   i. Automatic return address and timestamp added to request        -   ii. Choice of multiple look-up fields such as patient name,            patient ID, bed number, doctor ID . . .        -   iii. Can send to groups of patients (i.e. all maternity, all            patients of a given doctor)        -   iv. Menu of typical information requests            -   1. Each request is associated with a menu of typical                responses for patient        -   v. Option to hand enter a request    -   i. Read response to an informational request from patient        -   i. Menu of typical responses        -   ii. Option to hand enter response    -   j. Send and receive text messages to/from other nurse        communication device 140, doctor communication device 130,        communication server 120, and cell phones.        -   i. Options to reject messages from a “reject” list of phone            numbers or only accept messages from an “accept” list.        -   ii. Can search for addressee zone, sub-zone, nurse name,            nurse ID, etc. or by phonebook of previous addressees        -   iii. Menu of common messages            -   1. Option to hand enter message        -   iv. Expected response            -   1. Please call            -   2. Return reply            -   3. Please page            -   4. Please come            -   5. FYI—no response needed            -   6. Option to hand enter expected response        -   v. Please reply by:            -   1. ASAP            -   2. Within 5 min            -   3. Within 10 min            -   4. Within 15 min            -   5. Within 1 hour            -   6. Within 4 hours            -   7. Option to hand enter requested reply time    -   k. doctor communication device 130 may have an integrated camera        and/or ability to connect to a camera        -   i. Doctor can send images to any patient, nurse, other            doctor, or base station. Message automatically has a time            stamp, doctor name and doctor ID linked to it.        -   ii. Doctor can respond to images sent from patient, nurse,            other doctor, and base station.        -   iii. Doctor can view images sent from patient, nurse,            doctor, and base station

According to one embodiment, the nurse communication device 140 is awireless device that may work through a wireless provider, the hospitalnetwork, or a stand alone system. It works with a variety of languagesand is capable of input and output translation between them. Nurses sendinformation requests and reminders such as “take medications” directlyto patient communication device 110. Nurse communication device 140includes the following capabilities:

-   -   a. nurse communication device 140 may have an integrated speaker        and microphone        -   i. Nurse can send voice messages to any patient, other            nurse, doctor, or base station. Message automatically has a            time stamp, nurse name and nurse ID linked to it.        -   ii. Nurse can respond to voice messages sent from patient,            other nurse, doctor, and base station.        -   iii. Nurse can hear voice messages sent from patient, nurse,            doctor, and base station        -   iv. Option to use the microphone and speaker to enable use            of nurse communication device 140 as a mobile phone for            nurse to make and receive calls through hospital network            and/or an outside cellular carrier.            -   1. Pager may have ability to accept SIM card.    -   b. Adjustable ring and vibration alert for message waiting        -   i. For example, different alert for ASAP Requests and Panic            signal from patient communication device 110    -   c. Read nursing_staff_assignments        -   i. 1-touch for self assignment        -   ii. Can also search by zone, sub-zone, nurse name or nurse            ID    -   d. Read patient_data for any patient        -   i. Choice of multiple look-up fields such as patient name,            patient ID, bed number, doctor ID . . .    -   e. Change/update patient_data fields (some may be reserved)        -   i. Choice of multiple look-up fields such as patient name,            patient ID, bed number, doctor ID . . .    -   f. Read a patient request    -   g. Respond to a patient request with action or with        verbally/text response        -   i. Responded requests are flagged to notify other care            providers that the patient need is being addressed and for            that highlighted signal to appear on all pagers that            received that message. These requests have the return            address of the responding healthcare provider and a            timestamp added.        -   ii. Automatic return address and timestamp added to request        -   iii. Menu of 1 touch replies            -   1. Will do            -   2. Will do, but with some delay                -   a. Menu of delay times (i.e. uncertain, 5 min, 10                    min . . . )            -   3. Cannot do            -   4. See text        -   iv. Optional: can add personal message in reply        -   v. Do not need electronic response to ASAP request and panic            button    -   h. Set a timed reminder for request        -   i. Delayed requests are highlighted as on-hold to notify            other care providers that a healthcare provider intends to            respond to the request. These highlighted signals appear on            all pagers that received that message with the return            address of the responding healthcare provider and a time of            reminder added.    -   i. Send a reminder/announcement to a patient        -   i. Automatic return address and timestamp added        -   ii. Choice of multiple look-up fields such as patient name,            patient ID, bed number, doctor ID . . .        -   iii. Can send to groups of patients (i.e. all maternity, all            patients of a given doctor)        -   iv. Menu of typical reminders and announcements            -   1. Option to hand enter a reminder or announcement    -   j. Send an informational request        -   i. Automatic return address and timestamp added to request        -   ii. Choice of multiple look-up fields such as patient name,            patient ID, bed number, doctor ID . . .        -   iii. Can send to groups of patients (i.e. all maternity, all            patients of a given doctor)        -   iv. Menu of typical information requests            -   1. Each request is associated with a menu of typical                responses for patient        -   v. Option to hand enter a request    -   k. Read response to an informational request from patient        -   i. Menu of typical responses        -   ii. Option to hand enter response            -   1. Forward the request to another nurse        -   i. Works similar to assigning patients to another nurse, but            there are no return address.    -   m. Assign from 1 to all patients to another nurse communication        device 140        -   i. Select assignee by zone, sub-zone, nurse name, nurse ID,            or other field in nursing_staff_assignments        -   ii. Automatically identifies forwarding nurse information            (RTN)        -   iii. Ability to include a text message to assignee            -   1. 1 touch list of common messages            -   2. Optional: can add personal message        -   iv. Automatically notifies assignee            -   1. Requires response confirmation/rejection (simple 1                touch)        -   v. Notifies forwarding nurse after confirmation/rejection    -   n. Respond to an assignment request        -   i. 1 touch “Yes/No” response        -   ii. “Yes” updates fields in patient_data and            nursing_staff_assignments        -   iii. Option to hand enter comment to add to response    -   o. Re-assign, same as “Assign” except keeps original nurse        return information (RTN) and notifies both last responsible and        originally assigned nurse of affirmative response from assignee.        -   i. Select assignee by zone, sub-zone, nurse name or nurse ID        -   ii. Saves original forwarding nurse information (RTN)        -   iii. Ability to include a text message to assignee            -   1. 1 touch list of common messages            -   2. Optional: can add personal message        -   iv. Automatically notifies assignee            -   1. Requires response confirmation/rejection (simple 1                touch)        -   v. Notifies both re-forwarding nurse and original forwarding            nurse after positive confirmation        -   vi. Only notify re-forwarding nurse if request is rejected    -   p. Return, for original nurse to return from 1 to all forwarded        patients to self 1-touch option for returning all forwarded        patients.        -   i. Automatically notifies assignee            -   1. No confirmation required        -   ii. Updates fields in patient_data and            nursing_staff_assignments    -   q. Send and receive text messages to/from other nurse        communication device 140, doctor communication device 130,        communication server 120, and cell phones.        -   i. Options to reject messages from a “reject” list of phone            numbers or only accept messages from an “accept” list.        -   ii. Can search for addressee zone, sub-zone, nurse name,            nurse ID, etc. or by phonebook of previous addressees        -   iii. Menu of common messages            -   1. Option to hand enter message        -   iv. Expected response            -   1. Please call            -   2. Return reply            -   3. Please page            -   4. Please come            -   5. FYI—no response needed            -   6. Option to hand enter expected response        -   v. Please reply by:            -   1. ASAP            -   2. Within 5 min            -   3. Within 10 min            -   4. Within 15 min            -   5. Within 1 hour            -   6. Within 4 hours            -   7. Option to hand enter requested reply time    -   r. Nurse communication device 130 may have an integrated camera        and/or ability to connect to a camera        -   i. Nurse can send images to any patient, nurse, other            doctor, or base station. Message automatically has a time            stamp, doctor name and doctor ID linked to it.        -   ii. Nurse can respond to images sent from patient, nurse,            other doctor, and base station.        -   iii. Nurse can view images sent from patient, nurse, doctor,            and base station

Communication server 120 of system 100 includes message module 121 forsending messages to patient communication devices 110, such as e-mails,pages, SMS text messages, MMS messages, data files, etc. Communicationserver 120 also has a management module 122 that coordinates theexchange of messages between devices 110, 130, and 140, administratorinterface 150 and the treatment of patients. Management module 122 alsofacilitates the prioritization of patient calls. For example, inaddition to addressing safety issues related to unrecognized emergentneeds, to improve the delivery of in-patient healthcare, patient needsare prioritized relative to their urgency. According to thecharacteristic of the need, various care providers are qualified forhelping the patient. Nurses may then manage their duties from a prioritystandpoint without having to address the many non-urgent needs that canbe easily met by a hospital assistant or nursing assistant. In thisrespect, having a nurse respond to a call light that demonstrates aneed, which a non-skilled professional can satisfy, consumes limitedhospital energy and resources that should be directed elsewhere. Themanagement module 122 provides prompts to patients, nurses, doctors, andstaff to ensure that protocols are maintained for the treatment ofpatients. The protocols may conform to industry wide standards, orhospital and caregiver specific requirements.

Communications server 120 also includes a statistics module 123 thatcollects and analyzes information relating to the treatment of patients.For example, statistics module 123 analyzes data to track specificpatient problems, analyzing prioritizing of patient calls, patientsafety, hospital resources, patient satisfaction and timeliness ofmeeting requests.

Communication server 120 may be a web server that uses any one of anumber of protocols and/or applications including HyperText TransferProtocol (HTTP), File Transfer Protocol (FTP), Internet Relay Chat(IRC), etc., via a TCP/IP connection (not shown in this view) or othersimilar connection protocols. The operating system may be Windows®,LINUX, SUN Solaris®, Mac OS, Tiger, or other similar operating system.In one embodiment, the MMSW server 130 is a dedicated server. It usesprocessing logic, tools and databases and is built using a combinationof technologies such as those from Apache Software ( ) such as Tomcatservers; Java based technologies such as J2EE, EJB, JBOSS, JDBC; and/ordatabases such as MySQL.

According to one embodiment, the communications server 120 may workthrough a wireless provider, the hospital network, or a stand alonesystem. It works with a variety of languages and provides input andoutput translation between them. Communication server 120 has thefollowing capabilities:

-   -   a. communication server 120 may have an integrated speaker and        microphone or may be linked into the telephone at the base        station.        -   i. Base station can send voice messages to any patient,            doctor, or nurse. Message automatically has a time stamp,            operator name, and operator ID linked to it.        -   ii. Base station can respond to voice messages sent from            patient, nurse, and doctor.        -   iii. Base station can hear voice messages sent from patient,            nurse, and doctor.    -   b. Adjustable alert for message waiting        -   i. Different alert for ASAP Requests and Panic signal from            patient communication device 110    -   c. Set up and change menu options for all other devices    -   d. Assign nurses        -   i. Automatically updates nursing_staff_assignments        -   ii. Automatically sends text message to affected nurse            communication device 140 s    -   e. Read nursing_staff_assignments        -   i. Can search by zone, sub-zone, nurse name, nurse ID, etc.    -   f. Enter/remove patient into/from database    -   g. Read/change/update patient data for any patient        -   i. Choice of multiple look-up fields such as patient name,            patient ID, bed number, doctor ID . . .    -   h. Monitor patient/nurse communications    -   i. Send a reminder/announcement to a patient        -   i. Automatic return address and timestamp added        -   ii. Choice of multiple look-up fields such as patient name,            patient ID, bed number, doctor ID . . .        -   iii. Can send to groups of patients (i.e. all maternity, all            patients of a given doctor)        -   iv. Menu of typical reminders and announcements            -   1. Option to hand enter a reminder or announcement    -   j. Send an informational request        -   i. Automatic return address and timestamp added to request        -   ii. Choice of multiple look-up fields such as patient name,            patient ID, bed number, doctor ID . . .        -   iii. Can send to groups of patients (i.e. all maternity, all            patients of a given doctor)        -   iv. Menu of typical information requests            -   1. Each request is associated with a menu of typical                responses for patient        -   v. Option to hand enter a request    -   k. Read response to an informational request from patient        -   i. Menu of typical responses        -   ii. Option to hand enter response            -   1. Send and receive text messages and image files (such                as in jpeg or tif format) to/from nurse communication                device 140, doctor communication device 130, and cell                phones.        -   i. Options to reject messages from a “reject” list of phone            numbers or only accept messages from an “accept” list.        -   ii. Can search for addressee zone, sub-zone, nurse name,            nurse ID, etc. or by phonebook of previous addressees        -   iii. Menu of common messages            -   1. Option to hand enter message        -   iv. Expected response            -   1. Please call            -   2. Return reply            -   3. Please page            -   4. Please come            -   5. FYI—no response needed            -   6. Option to hand enter expected response        -   v. Please reply by:            -   1. ASAP            -   2. Within 5 min            -   3. Within 10 min            -   4. Within 15 min            -   5. Within 1 hour            -   6. Within 4 hours            -   7. Option to hand enter requested reply time

System 100 includes an administrator interface 150 that allows systemconfiguration and process flow for advanced patient communications. Forexample, administrator interface 150 may be a touch screen PC thatmonitors all patients, and receives communications from a patientcommunication device 110. From the administrator interface 150, messagesmay be sent to nurse communication device 140 and/or doctorcommunication device. Through administrator interface 150, anadministrator, such as a head nurse, doctor or workflow coordinator mayaccess information relating to patients, as well as each nurse, staffmember and doctor. The information may include performance statisticsfor doctors, nurse, and staff, as well as treatment information for thepatient.

A station display 160 allows for the display of patient relatedinformation. The display 160 may be located behind a nurse's stationsuch that all nurses, doctors, and staff may see which beds are assignedto patients, nursing and doctor assignments, as well as treatmentinformation if a patient codes and needs immediate attention. Thedisplay may also indicate if the patient is alone, with visitors, adoctor, a nurse, staff, or other person. The display may also indicate astatus for a treatment process for a particular patient, for example,consult needed by a particular specialist, or medication to beadministered by a particular nurse. A station display 160 may also beplaced outside a hospital patient room and provide information specificto the particular patient.

A station display 160 allows for a wireless provider, the hospitalnetwork, or a stand alone system. It is designed to work with a varietyof languages and is capable of translation between them. Display maytime alternate between 2 or more languages and/or may have languageadjustment capability. Station display 160 has the followingassignments.

-   -   a. Displays fields from nursing_staff_assignments and        patient_data    -   b. May have multiple displays, multiple windows cycling on each        display, or menu-based displays    -   c. Displays current patient Panic signal and ASAP request data

System 100 includes a database 170 that stores a variety of patient andhealthcare provider information. Patient data stored in database 170includes for each patient:

-   -   a. Name: Patient name    -   b. Int: Patient ID number    -   c. Text: Primary language    -   d. Text: Additional languages    -   e. Time: Admit date    -   f. Text: Diagnosis    -   g. Name: Doctor name    -   h. Int: Doctor ID number    -   i. Text: Allergies    -   j. Emergency Contact    -   i. Name: Contact Name        -   ii. Int: Contact Telephone number        -   iii. Int: Contact Secondary telephone number        -   iv. Address: Contact Address    -   k. Array:        -   i. Text: Medications    -   l. Name: Nurse name    -   m. Int: Nurse ID number    -   n. Name: RTN nurse name (return address for use with forwarding)    -   o. Int: RTN nurse ID number (return address for use with        forwarding)    -   p. Int: Bed number    -   q. Text: comments/notes from Nurses and Doctors    -   r. Array (for all communication to and from the patient)        -   i. Text: Requests and responses

The patient data may be searched, accessed and edited in many ways asfollows:

-   -   a. From communication server 120—can search by any data field        (i.e. doctor, diagnosis . . . )        -   i. Enter        -   ii. Read        -   iii. Update        -   iv. Delete        -   v. Automatic archive whenever data field is updated    -   b. From nurse communication device 140—can search by any data        field (i.e. doctor, diagnosis . . . )        -   i. Read        -   ii. Update (some variables such as patient ID number may be            restricted from nurse update)    -   c. From patient communication device 110—can only access data        for patient assigned to board        -   i. Read only (some data may be restricted from view)    -   d. From station display 160        -   i. Read only (some data may be restricted from view)    -   e. From doctor communication device 130—can search by any data        field (i.e. doctor, diagnosis . . . )        -   i. Read        -   ii. Update (some variables such as patient ID number may be            restricted from doctor update)

Nursing staff assignments information stored in database 170 includesfor each nurse:

-   -   a. Array (for each nurse on duty)        -   i. Name: Nurse name        -   ii. Int: Nurse ID number        -   iii. Nurse Information:            -   1. Text: Nurse primary language            -   2. Text: Nurse additional languages            -   3. Text: Nurse specialties (i.e. x-ray technician)            -   4. Optionally more fields        -   iv. Text: Hospital zone assigned (i.e. 3rd floor, maternity            . . . )            -   1. Text: sub-zone (i.e. 3rd floor/admissions)        -   v. Array (for each of this nurse's patients)            -   1. Name: Patient name            -   2. Int: Patient ID number            -   3. Int: Patient bed number

The nurse assignment data (that may change every shift) may be searched,accessed and edited in many ways as follows:

-   -   a. Electronic display of assignments posted at communication        server 120.    -   b. From communication server 120—can search by any data field        (i.e. nurse name, patient name)        -   i. Enter        -   ii. Read        -   iii. Update        -   iv. Delete        -   v. Automatic archive whenever data field is updated    -   c. From nurse communication device 140—can search by any data        field (i.e. nurse name, zone . . . )        -   i. Read nursing_staff_assignments for self or any other            nurse            -   1. Simple (1 touch) to read nursing_staff_assignments                for self            -   2. Can search by zone, sub-zone, nurse name, or nurse ID        -   ii. Forwarding (can temporarily re-assign patients to            another nurse)    -   d. From patient communication device 110—not used by patient        communication device 110    -   e. From station display 160        -   i. Read only    -   f. From doctor communication device 130        -   i. Read only

Patient request information stored in database 170 includes for eachrequest:

-   -   a. Header:        -   i. Name: Patient name        -   ii. Int: Patient ID number        -   iii. Text: Diagnosis        -   iv. Name: Doctor name        -   v. Int: Doctor ID number        -   vi. Text: Allergies        -   vii. Array:            -   1. Text: Medications        -   viii. Name: Nurse name        -   ix. Int: Nurse ID number        -   x. Name: RTN nurse name (return address for use with            forwarding)        -   xi. Int: RTN nurse ID number (return address for use with            forwarding)        -   xii. Int: Bed number    -   b. Request        -   i. Text: Description of request        -   ii. Text: Urgency of request    -   c. Response        -   i. Flag: Pending        -   ii. Flag: In a nurses' queue (reminder set up)            -   1. Name: Nurse name            -   2. Int: Nurse ID number            -   3. Time: Time of reminder        -   iii. Flag: Responded to            -   1. Name: Nurse name            -   2. Int: Nurse ID number            -   3. Time: Time of response

The patient request data may be searched, accessed and edited in manyways as follows:

-   -   a. From communication server 120—can search by any data field        (i.e. nurse name, patient name)        -   i. Read        -   ii. Update        -   iii. Delete        -   iv. Automatic archive whenever data field is updated or            entry is deleted    -   b. From nurse communication device 140—default display requests        to nurse, but can also search by any data field (i.e. nurse        name, zone . . . )        -   i. Read        -   ii. Set a reminder for later        -   iii. Forward to another nurse        -   iv. Highlight as in-progress        -   v. Delete        -   vi. Automatic archive whenever data field is updated or            entry is deleted    -   c. From patient communication device 110—not used by patient        communication device 110    -   d. From station display 160        -   i. Read only    -   e. From doctor communication device 130—expect to usually be        read, not modified        -   i. Set a reminder for later        -   ii. Forward to a different nurse        -   iii. Highlight as in-progress        -   iv. Delete        -   v. Automatic archive whenever data field is updated or entry            is deleted

One or more of communication devices 110, 130, 140, administrationinterface 150, communication server 120 and station display 160 mayallow network access via a web browser such as MICROSOFT'S INTERNETEXPLORER, NETSCAPE BROWSER, MOZILLA, FIREFOX, or the SAFARI browsersthat support HTML and JavaScript.

Communication devices 110, 130, 140, administration interface 150,communication server 120 and station display 160 are interconnected bysecure network 101. According to one embodiment, network 101 isdescribed as being the Internet, alternatively, the network 101 may be aWide Area Network (WAN), a Local Area Network (LAN), or any other systemof interconnections enabling two or more devices to exchangeinformation. Further, the network 101 may include a wireless network,such that one or more of devices 110, 130, 140, administration interface150, communication server 120 and station display 160 may be wirelessdevices.

System 100 may also include other supporting computing software andhardware, for example, additional website servers, databases, computers,and user interface servers.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary computer architecture for use with thepresent system, according to one embodiment. Computer architecture 200can be used to implement a devices 110, 130, 140, administrationinterface 150, and communication server 120 of FIG. 1. One embodiment ofarchitecture 200 comprises a system bus 220 for communicatinginformation, and a processor 210 coupled to bus 220 for processinginformation. Architecture 200 further comprises a random access memory(RAM) or other dynamic storage device 225 (referred to herein as mainmemory), coupled to bus 220 for storing information and instructions tobe executed by processor 210. Main memory 225 also may be used forstoring temporary variables or other intermediate information duringexecution of instructions by processor 210. Architecture 200 also mayinclude a read only memory (ROM) and/or other static storage device 226coupled to bus 220 for storing static information and instructions usedby processor 210.

A data storage device 227 such as a magnetic disk or optical disc andits corresponding drive may also be coupled to computer system 200 forstoring information and instructions. Architecture 200 can also becoupled to a second I/O bus 250 via an I/O interface 230. A plurality ofI/O devices may be coupled to I/O bus 250, including a display device243, an input device (e.g., an alphanumeric input device 242 and/or acursor control device 241). For example, web pages rendered by MMSWserver 130 and related information may be presented to the user on thedisplay device 243.

The communication device 240 allows for access to other computers(servers or clients) via a network. The communication device 240 maycomprise a modem, a network interface card, a wireless network interfaceor other well known interface device, such as those used for coupling toEthernet, token ring, or other types of networks.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary communications process 300, according toone embodiment. System 100 directs the patient through the use of thepatient communication device 110 that provides menus of the patients'needs and requests according to their sense of urgency. (310) In thissame respect, the patient's needs—as they are selected or typed out—aremessaged to the patient's healthcare providers on their doctor'scommunication device 130 and/or nurse communication device 140 and acentral communication server 120. (320) One embodiment allows thepatient's primary nurse to be able to receive all messages from his/herpatient(s). Furthermore, those specific needs, which are appropriate fora non-licensed healthcare professional, such as a hospital assistant ornurse assistant, are messaged accordingly.

The time of the message in addition to the patient's personalinformation identifies each patient request/communication. (330) As eachrequest is made, the patient's literal request or need is messaged in atime-sequenced manner to the doctor's communication device 130 and/ornurse communication device 140 and organized/prioritized by urgency andtime of request. (340)

One embodiment allows for either one-way or two-way text or voicecommunication between the patient care staff or the patient care staffand the patient. According to one embodiment, a voice communicationsystem uses a speech recognition system which deciphers verbal messagesand submits them either in voice or text. In such a way, the doctor'scommunication device 130 and/or nurse communication device 140 providestext of voice input or actually transmit the voice into an audiblespeaker. The patient communication device 110 may also allow the patientto hear the patient care staff speaking to them. This would best servepatients who cannot read and can only use their voice to communicate orfor patients for whom speaking and hearing is the most convenient methodof communicating.

When using system 100, each operator is able to delete a patient requestwhen that request has been addressed and save the message for laterretrieval. (350) One embodiment allows the operator to program all savedmessages for timed reminders at the time the message is saved.Additionally, one embodiment of the system 100 allows multiplecommunication devices to interact with one another so that a healthcareteam involving nurses and their assistants may be able to requestassistance from one another if warranted by the situation.

After messaging all required care givers, the present system tracks anytreatments, evaluations, and consultations, to ensure that protocolsassociated with patient's request are followed. (360) The system 100generates additional messages, stores data in the database 170 andtracks the progress of the healthcare providers until the patient'srequest is complete.

System 100 facilitates the identification of a patient need beingaddressed. Since multiple people may receive the same patient request ontheir communication device, the care provider assisting with thatspecific need may highlight the message with a function key on thecommunication device 110, 130, or 140 to notify other care providersthat the patient's need is being addressed and for that highlightedsignal to appear on all devices 130, 140 that received that message.This eliminates two or more people going to the same patient at the sametime for the same need. It also allows all those who have been contactedto see which patient needs/requests remain unaddressed. In this respect,system 100 provides an efficient way for communication between patientsand their care providers and amongst the care providers themselves.

In addition to patient messages appearing in text on communicationdevices 130 and 140, there is a central communication server 120 whereall patient requests appear in chronological order in addition to levelof urgency, displaying in full detail the patient's request, patient'skey information, time request was made, responding nurse and time ofresponse. All past requests can be achieved and searchable by patientnumber, bed number, nurse number, etc. These records can be used as costand performance metrics for patients, nurses, section of the hospital,or for the entire hospital. The central communication server 120controls all beside monitors for a particular unit and would also serveas the primary language center. From this station, the language of thepatient communication device 110 can be chosen, changed, or altered. Inaddition, it can provide direct translation services. In the event thepatient reads only Japanese and the nurse reads only English, thecommunication server 120 allows automatic translation between thepatient communication device 110 and the nurse's desk or communicationdevice 140, and also vice versa, allowing effective two waycommunication without the need of a translator. The communication server120 also allows for voice communication between communication devices tobe translated from one languages to another when conversing between twolanguages.

The present method and system allows data for each patient to be enteredprior to the patient's use of the patient communication device 110. Thedata may be entered using a keyboard, which connects to the system bywireless communication and/or by a wire connection. The present systemmay allow this data to be entered into the central communication systemusing an interactive touch screen and/or keyboard. Hospital staff areable to select the type of care administered to the patient (i.e.Triage/ER/EMS, ICU/Recovery Room, General Med/Surg, Long-termCare/Hospice), the language spoken by the patient, the language spokenby the healthcare provider, the patient's name and general demographics(age, gender, etc.). The present system presents menus then madeavailable to the patient to vary according to these selections. Forexample, “ICU” could bring up a list of urgent needs associated withbeing unable to breathe, needing suctioning, having pain. In addition,this menu would provide dialog which would enable the expression ofspecific needs that are necessary for treatment that one would be unableto express without using their voice—as these patients are most oftenintubated and unable to speak. The communication deficit with thesepatients most often involves their inability to speak, whereas stablepatients on a hospital ward are separated from their healthcare providerand their deficit lies in the inability of the healthcare provider todifferentiate their needs from urgent and non-urgent prior to arrivingto their room. Likewise, the preprogrammed text for acute (non-ICU) carewould represent the communication needs for that patient population.This variation is consistent for each level of care the programsupports. Again, the present method and system supports at least onelevel of care, possibly including more, four of which may be delineatedas: Triage/ER/EMS, ICU/Recovery Room, General Med/Surg, Long-termCare/Hospice.

The present method and system, according to one embodiment allows forverification of communications. All communications are automaticallyverified by the receiving device. Unverified messages are automaticallyresent after a programmable timeout period. Backup measures includingsending a message to the system administrator and/or a secondaryrecipient are implemented after a programmable number of failedre-tries.

Another embodiment of the present invention comprises an advancedpatient nurse call device. The present nurse call system utilizes 1) abedside digital user interface (FIG. 4), lightweight handheld solutionsfor the providers (FIGS. 5A-5I), a nursing “whiteboard” (FIG. 6), and asoftware platform that uses an algorithm to enable patients, providers,and other ancillary staff the opportunity to communicate specificrequests, remotely, instantly, and with pre-assigned priority rankingsThe patient interface may have multiple screens (FIG. 7 and FIGS. 8A-D).The platform may also include functionalities that allow for precisemonitoring of nurse call requests, patient admissions, transfers, anddischarges, managing personnel/shift changes, and sign-offs from any PCwith software or web access.

The present novel nurse call system offering a patient-centric interface(FIG. 4), that includes two hardware call buttons providing the optionfor urgent and non-urgent requests and a touch screen (401) providingthe option for making up to 30 specific requests. Call requests arerouted based on provider availability, which for the present system,includes both real-time input from nursing staff as well as an automatedalgorithm that monitors the number and types of call requests assignedto each provider. Finally, the present system uses a combination ofsoftware and new hardware providing: 1) addition of bilingualcommunication; 2) two levels of call urgency; 3) a touch screen devicefor specifying requests allowing intelligent routing, and finally; 4)algorithmic routing of calls with unique capability for assessingprovider availability remotely.

The patient touch screen displays four categorical requests: 1) IV,Medications & Pain (404); 2) Bathroom & Hygiene (405); 3) Food & Drink(406), 4) Comfort & Repositioning (407), organized according to skilllevel required to address the request within each category. This enablespatients to select a category, which then delivers that specific messageto their nursing staff, which is then communicated with a pre-assignedpriority ranking and delivered to the most appropriate nursingpersonnel. A basic version only displays the categorical icons (FIG. 7).An advanced version displays a secondary screen after selecting eachcategory (FIGS. 8A-D), providing more specific requests that correspondto category, with a total of thirty specific requests within all fourcategories. The present system also alerts the patient when a callrequest has been made and allows the patient to cancel their call if therequest was made accidentally. This confirmation and cancellationprocess is not available on existing patient pillow speakers.

Referring now to the present system in more detail, in FIG. 4 there areshown two buttons (402 and 403). The lower button (403) provides thepatient the opportunity to make a general or non-urgent call requestwhile the top button (402) provides the patient the opportunity to makean urgent request. The functionality further provides the patient theopportunity to press the top button (402) after pressing the lowerbutton (403) such that the patient who initially pressed the lowerbutton (403) has now waited for some period of time and has recognizedthey no longer can wait and needs help right away. By doing so, thepatient has now self-escalated their call request from non-urgent tourgent. These two buttons (402 and 403) may be positioned anddistinguishable from one another in other ways other than as displayedin FIG. 4, including the option for touch screen selectivity rather thandepressing a physical hardware button.

In more detail, still referring to the embodiment of FIG. 4 there areshown two buttons (402 and 403). A pendant that is worn around the neckof the patient or around the patients wrist with these two buttons,providing at least one of these buttons, can be used when a patient isambulating the halls, ambulating to the bathroom or sitting up in achair where the bedside device in FIG. 4 would otherwise not be inreach. In this manner the patient can initiate a call request remotelyfrom this device.

In more detail, still referring to the embodiment of FIG. 4, a message“Request Made” (408) provides confirmation to the patient that they havesuccessful initiated a call request.

In further detail, still referring to the embodiment of FIG. 4, thepatient can, after initiating a call request, select he item a secondtime and to cancel their request. After doing so the patient is theninformed that their request has been cancelled, “Request Cancelled” inthe same location as “Request Made” (408).

In further detail, still referring to the embodiment of FIG. 4, once acall request has been initiated and, the provider's device messages tothe provider that the request remains unacknowledged by the word “New”(509) in FIG. 5. Once the provider selects the call request from theirhandheld device, the call request no longer shows “New” indicated therequest has been acknowledged by the provider and simultaneously sends amessage to the patient device informing the patient that “Help is on theway” in the same location as “Request Made” (408).

Referring now to the embodiments shown in FIGS. 5A-2I, a messagegenerated by a patient which is routed to an initial provider based onboth the context of the message and the provider's skill level(Registered Nurse, Nurse Assistant) can be manually reassigned by therecipient to another provider from their receiving device or fromanother device that displays the message using the “Transfer” icon shownin 510. Once this call request has been transferred, a transferred iconappears on the list of call requests (511).

In more detail, still referring to the system of FIGS. 5A-I, providersare able to view their patients in order based on need (512), lapsedtime (513), and by patient or room number (514).

In more detail, still referring to the embodiment of FIGS. 5A-I, aprovider device displays a list of patients and is color coded based oncontext of call light request (515 and 516) and provider currentlyaccountable to that request (515 and 516), and time since request wasinitiated (517) and the status of the request (initiated, acknowledged,in-progress, transferred to another provider, fulfilled).

One embodiment of above such device comprising a touch screen display ofpatients which can be organized by urgency of request (512), by timeelapsed since initiated (513), by room number (518), by assignedprovider type (516).

One embodiment of above such device comprising a touch screen displayingthe status of the call light request and the ability for the provider tochoose to “respond” which can then both allow for direct speakingcommunication into the patients room or send a text message which wouldappear on the patient's screen.

One embodiment of above such device can provide the ability for theprovider to change or update the status of the call light request (408)in FIG. 4.

One embodiment of above such device comprises a touch screen whereby therecipient is able to redirect or transfer the request to anotherprovider if the recipient of the request is unable to respond (510).

One embodiment of above such device whereby any call light request whichhas not been fulfilled is automatically entered into and retained withina checklist which the provider can access and modify, sort able bypatient or by time due, able to generate prompts/reminders (alarms)based on time due or manually scheduled times (519).

One embodiment of above such device whereby providers can call for aStaff Assist, signaling the appropriate staff with both visual and audioqueues on their devices as to the provider's location who initiated theStaff Assist (520).

Referring now to the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, a display screenillustrates the context of each call light request (621) by location(622), the type of request (623), level of urgency of the request (623),status of request (e.g., initiated, acknowledged, in-progress,transferred to another provider, fulfilled) (625) and type of provider(624) that should first respond to the request for each patient, capableof organizing this information by provider and/or by patient room numberand displaying this information accordingly, capable of providing calllight reassignment from one provider to another.

In more detail, still referring to the embodiment of FIG. 6, a displayscreen illustrates the presence of a patient in their room, in theirbathroom using RFID, the presence of a provider if a provider hasentered the patient room using RFID.

One embodiment of above such device can modify the status of a calllight request if that provide is the active recipient for that patient'sactive call light request. Yet another embodiment can update the statusor that type of provider making rounds if the provider is eitherassigned or qualified to perform patient rounds has entered the room.

Referring now to the embodiments shown in FIGS. 7 and 8A-D, for patientswho are determined to be at high risk of falling if they attempted toget out of bed on their own, the device shown in FIG. 4 would deliver amessage to the patient if the patient initiated a categorical requestsuch as “Bathroom & Hygiene” (405) or if the patient initiated aspecific request such as “Go to the Bathroom” (826). The messagedelivered could be a textual message displayed on the screen shown inFIG. 7 or FIGS. 8A-D or a spoken message, such as “Please, do not getout of bed by yourself”, or “You are at great risk of falling”, or“Someone is on the way to help you” might prevent the patient fromattempting to get up by themselves and prevent them from falling.

In more detail, still referring to the embodiments of FIG. 7 and FIGS.8A-D, when a patient selects a message such as illustrated by 405 or826, a message is generated by a patient which is routed to an initialprovider based on both the context of the message and the provider'sskill level (Registered Nurse, Nurse Assistant). If the initialrecipient has several other call requests which have not been fulfilled,the message can be automatically re-routed to another provider of likeskill level based upon a programmable threshold having been reached,that threshold being a programmable number of unacknowledged requests,outstanding requests or unfulfilled requests of the initialprovider/recipient.

In further detail, still referring to the embodiments of FIG. 7 andFIGS. 8A-D, when a patient selects a message such as illustrated by 405or 826, a message generated by a patient which is routed to an initialprovider based on both the context of the message and the provider'sskill level (Registered Nurse, Nurse Assistant, Physician) can beautomatically re-routed to another provider of different skill levelbased upon a programmable threshold having been reached, that thresholdbeing a programmable number of unacknowledged requests, outstandingrequests or unfulfilled requests of either the initialprovider/recipient or other providers/recipients of like skill level. Insuch a manner, the call request can be automatically routed andre-routed until it finds a recipient that would best be able to respondto the patient's request. The difference between what is state here andpreviously stated above is that the destination of automatic routing andre-routing, as described above, may be a recipient that is not the bestmatch with respect to best skill level to fulfill the request, but itprovides the opportunity for a provider to at least attend to thepatient if a provider that does match the skill necessary to fulfill therequest is not available.

In further detail, still referring to the embodiments of FIG. 4, FIG. 7and FIGS. 8A-D, a patient pillow speaker device that provides thepatient with more than one contextually specific nurse call request,whereby more than one request (404-407, or 404 and 826) can be activesimultaneously, whereby the recipient(s) of such request may be notifiedof the context of each request with a plurality of requests; whereby theinitial recipient(s) of each request can be routed or automaticallyre-routed based on the context of each message, the skill level requiredto fulfill each request, the skill level of the recipient and the numberof unacknowledged requests, outstanding requests or unfulfilled requestsof the initial provider/recipient.

Referring now to the embodiments shown in FIGS. 4-9D, all textualcontent can be provided in a multilingual format allow the spokenlanguage of the patient to be selected within the setup process whichwould then display all textual content in the patient preferredlanguage. This continues to send the same message to the providersallowing the providers to understand the patient's needs initiated inthe patient's preferred language and read by the provider in theprovider's preferred language.

The advantages of the present invention include, without limitation, achange in clinical practice by providing nurses a way to streamlinepatient care, work more efficiently, and provide a safer, moresatisfying patient experience. Although there have been other attemptsto develop structural work role redesigns by providing patientcommunication metrics, a workflow redesign could optimally removenon-value added time from licensed nursing personnel. When nurses knowthe patient's specific need when the call button is initiated, theresponse can be prioritized and/or redirected to appropriate staff(skilled vs. non-skilled), bypassing the need for triaging callrequests, thereby improving patient safety and efficiency of care. Inthis manner, the present invention may impact nursing shortage byproviding administration optimal allocation of nursing resources throughunique workflow management features that allow administration to examinethe types of call requests and associated required nursing personnel.Since the difference in full-time equivalent staffing expenses paid toRegistered Nurses and nurse assistants is roughly $80,000-$100,000,depending on location within the United States, this reallocation ofstaffing resources can produce significant cost-savings. It is thereforepossible that a 500-bed hospital can save $1M-$1.5M annually throughimplementation of the present system. Further, by providing nursingstaff a digital record of the patient's request on their handhelddevice, it provides a safety net relieving nursing staff from relying ontheir memory or handwritten lists of tasks, thereby reducing humanerror. Anticipated benefits from the present system for both patientsand healthcare organizations are a reduction in adverse patient events,such as falls, and improvements in provider efficiencies.

In broad embodiment, the present system is an enhanced pillow speakerthat identifies the specific context of each patient request along withan algorithm to deliver a specific message to the hospital nursing staffwith a pre-assigned priority ranking based on the urgency of the requestand skill level required to fulfill the patient request. There are twopatient- and nurse-centric aspects of the present system solution thattruly differentiate present system from other nurse calltechnologies: 1) the specificity of messages being sent from thepatient's pillow speaker (FIGS. 5A-5I), and 2) the algorithm used tomanage these messages. With the present system, the patient's specificneed is delivered to the most appropriate nursing personnel forimmediate response, without requiring a staff member to triage therequest. By providing patient-and nurse-centric categorizations viatextual or pictorial icons at the patient bedside, patient call requestscan for the first time, be routed to the most appropriate and availableprovider without the requirement of staff member to first triage therequest.

In the description above, for purposes of explanation only, specificnomenclature is set forth to provide a thorough understanding of thepresent disclosure. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in theart that these specific details are not required to practice theteachings of the present disclosure.

Some portions of the detailed descriptions herein are presented in termsof algorithms and symbolic representations of operations on data bitswithin a computer memory. These algorithmic descriptions andrepresentations are the means used by those skilled in the dataprocessing arts to most effectively convey the substance of their workto others skilled in the art. An algorithm is here, and generally,conceived to be a self-consistent sequence of steps leading to a desiredresult. The steps are those requiring physical manipulations of physicalquantities. Usually, though not necessarily, these quantities take theform of electrical or magnetic signals capable of being stored,transferred, combined, compared, and otherwise manipulated. It hasproven convenient at times, principally for reasons of common usage, torefer to these signals as bits, values, elements, symbols, characters,terms, numbers, or the like.

It should be borne in mind, however, that all of these and similar termsare to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and aremerely convenient labels applied to these quantities. Unlessspecifically stated otherwise as apparent from the below discussion, itis appreciated that throughout the description, discussions utilizingterms such as “processing” or “computing” or “calculating” or“determining” or “displaying” or the like, refer to the action andprocesses of a computer system, or similar electronic computing device,that manipulates and transforms data represented as physical(electronic) quantities within the computer system's registers andmemories into other data similarly represented as physical quantitieswithin the computer system memories or registers or other suchinformation storage, transmission or display devices.

The algorithms presented herein are not inherently related to anyparticular computer or other apparatus. Various general purpose systems,computer servers, or personal computers may be used with programs inaccordance with the teachings herein, or it may prove convenient toconstruct a more specialized apparatus to perform the required methodsteps. The required structure for a variety of these systems will appearfrom the description below. It will be appreciated that a variety ofprogramming languages may be used to implement the teachings of thedisclosure as described herein.

Moreover, the various features of the representative examples and thedependent claims may be combined in ways that are not specifically andexplicitly enumerated in order to provide additional useful embodimentsof the present teachings. It is also expressly noted that all valueranges or indications of groups of entities disclose every possibleintermediate value or intermediate entity for the purpose of originaldisclosure, as well as for the purpose of restricting the claimedsubject matter. It is also expressly noted that the dimensions and theshapes of the components shown in the figures are designed to help tounderstand how the present teachings are practiced, but not intended tolimit the dimensions and the shapes shown in the examples.

A method and system for advanced patient communication have beendescribed. An advanced patient nurse call device has also beendisclosed. It is understood that the embodiments described herein arefor the purpose of elucidation and should not be considered limiting thesubject matter of the present patent. Various modifications, uses,substitutions, combinations, improvements, methods of productionswithout departing from the scope or spirit of the present inventionwould be evident to a person skilled in the art.

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising: receiving a first messagefrom a patient communication device at a central processing server;processing the first message to identify a context of the first message;generating one or more additional messages based on the first message;transmitting the one or more additional messages to specific health careprovider devices of specific health care providers expected to respondto the patient, wherein the one or more additional messages are codedand routed to specific health care provider devices based on the contextof the first message and a skillset associated with each specific healthcare provider.
 2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, whereinthe one or more additional messages are coded and routed to the specifichealth care provider devices based on an availability associated witheach specific health care provider.
 3. The computer-implemented methodof claim 1, further comprising processing the first message to identifyan urgency level of the message; wherein the one or more additionalmessages are coded and routed to the specific health care providerdevices based on the urgency level of the first message.
 4. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the one or moreadditional messages are coded and routed to the specific health careprovider devices based on a second urgency level of the first message,wherein the second urgency level is based on the urgency level and alapse in time between receiving the first message and responding to thefirst message.
 5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, furthercomprising gathering and storing information related to responding tothe patient, the information including time of request, the urgencylevel, responding health care professional, time of response, patientnumber, nurse number, doctor number, bed number, and treatment.
 6. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 5, further comprising: generatingnurse metrics from the information; and generating patient metrics fromthe information.
 7. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, whereinthe information is automatically stored in a database that issearchable.
 8. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, furthercomprising translating the message of a first language generated fromthe patient communication device to a second language.
 9. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the message translatedinto the second language is displayed on a device selected from thegroup consisting of the specific health care provider device, thepatient device, a central display at the nursing station, a devicecapable of accessing a web-based program and mixtures thereof.
 10. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising customizingone or more displays of the patient communication device based on aspecific condition of the patient.
 11. The computer-implemented methodof claim 1, further comprising automatically prioritizing multiplemessages from a plurality of patient communication devices according topre-determined parameters.
 12. The computer-implemented method of claim1, further comprising automatically generating interactive messages tothe patient communication device and the specific health care providerdevices to ensure predetermined treatment protocols are followed.
 13. Acomputer-readable medium having stored thereon a plurality ofinstructions, said plurality of instructions when executed by acomputer, cause said computer to perform: receiving a first message froma patient communication device at a central processing server;processing the first message to identify a context of the first message;generating one or more additional messages based on the first message;transmitting the one or more additional messages to specific health careprovider devices of specific health care providers expected to respondto the patient, wherein the one or more additional messages are codedand routed to specific health care provider devices based on the contextof the first message and a skillset associated with each specific healthcare provider.
 14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein theone or more additional messages are coded and routed to the specifichealth care provider devices based on an availability associated witheach specific health care provider.
 15. The computer-readable medium ofclaim 13 having stored thereon-additional instructions, said additionalinstructions when executed by a computer, cause said computer to furtherperform processing the first message to identify an urgency level of themessage; wherein the one or more additional messages are coded androuted to the specific health care provider devices based on the urgencylevel of the first message.
 16. The computer-readable medium of claim15, wherein the one or more additional messages are coded and routed tothe specific health care provider devices based on a second urgencylevel of the first message, wherein the second urgency level is based onthe urgency level and a lapse in time between receiving the firstmessage and responding to the first message.
 17. The computer-readablemedium of claim 13, having stored thereon-additional instructions, saidadditional instructions when executed by a computer, cause said computerto further perform gathering and storing information related toresponding to the patient, the information including time of request,the urgency level, responding health care professional, time ofresponse, patient number, nurse number, doctor number, bed number, andtreatment.
 18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, having storedthereon-additional instructions, said additional instructions whenexecuted by a computer, cause said computer to further perform:generating nurse metrics from the information; and generating patientmetrics from the information.
 19. The computer-readable medium of claim17, wherein the information is automatically stored in a database thatis searchable.
 20. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, havingstored thereon-additional instructions, said additional instructionswhen executed by a computer, cause said computer to further performtranslating the message of a first language generated from the patientcommunication device to a second language.
 21. The computer-readablemedium of claim 20, having stored thereon-additional instructions, saidadditional instructions when executed by a computer, cause said computerto further perform displaying the message translated into the secondlanguage on a device selected from the group consisting of the specifichealth care provider device, the patient device, a central display atthe nursing station, a device capable of accessing a web-based programand mixtures thereof.
 22. The computer-readable medium of claim 13,having stored thereon-additional instructions, said additionalinstructions when executed by a computer, cause said computer to furtherperform customizing one or more displays of the patient communicationdevice based on a specific condition of the patient.
 23. Thecomputer-readable medium of claim 13, having stored thereon-additionalinstructions, said additional instructions when executed by a computer,cause said computer to further perform automatically prioritizingmultiple messages from a plurality of patient communication devicesaccording to pre-determined parameters.
 24. The computer-readable mediumof claim 13, having stored thereon-additional instructions, saidadditional instructions when executed by a computer, cause said computerto further perform automatically generating interactive messages to thepatient communication device and the specific health care providerdevices to ensure predetermined treatment protocols are followed.
 25. Apatient communications processor, comprising: a message receiverconfigured to receive a first message from a patient communicationdevice; a message processor configured to process the first message toidentify a context of the first message; a message generator configuredto generate one or more additional messages based on the first message;a message transmitter configured to transmit the one or more additionalmessages to one or more health care provider devices of health careproviders expected to respond to the patient, wherein the one or moreadditional messages are coded and routed to the one or more health careprovider devices based on the context of the first message and askillset associated with each health care provider.
 26. The patientcommunications processor of claim 25, wherein the one or more additionalmessages are coded and routed to the specific health care providerdevices based on an availability associated with each specific healthcare provider.
 27. The patient communications processor of claim 25,wherein the message processor is configured to process the first messageto identify an urgency level of the message; wherein the one or moreadditional messages are coded and routed to the specific health careprovider devices based on the urgency level of the first message and asecond urgency level, and wherein the second urgency level is based onthe urgency level and a lapse in time between receiving the firstmessage and responding to the first message.
 28. The patientcommunications processor of claim 25, wherein the one or more additionalmessages are coded and routed to the specific health care providerdevices based on a second urgency level of the first message, whereinthe second urgency level is based on the urgency level and a lapse intime between receiving the first message and responding to the firstmessage.
 29. The patient communications processor of claim 25, whereinthe patient communication device comprises a touch screen flat paneldisplay.
 30. The patient communications processor of claim 25, whereinthe health care provider devices are mobile devices.
 31. The patientcommunications processor of claim 25, further comprising a searchabledatabase.
 32. The patient communications processor of claim 31, furthercomprises a message translator configured to translate the message of afirst language generated from the patient communication device to asecond language.
 33. The patient communications processor of claim 25,wherein the message transmitter transmits the message translated intothe second language to a medium where it will be displayed on a deviceselected from the group consisting of the specific health care providerdevice, the patient device, a central display at the nursing station, adevice capable of accessing a web-based program and mixtures thereof.34. A patient device, comprising: a selection input mechanism, theselection input mechanism being one or more of a button and a touchscreen selection; and a display for generating a message by a patient,wherein the selection input mechanism is utilized by the patient togenerate a message for transmission to another device, and wherein theselection input mechanism enables the patient to escalate an urgency ofthe message.
 35. The patient device of claim 34, the display further forproviding confirmation to the patient that a nurse call request has beeninitiated.
 36. The patient device of claim 34, further comprising aselection input mechanism for canceling a nurse call request.
 37. Thepatient device of claim 34, the display further for informing thepatient that a care provider has acknowledged their message.
 38. Thepatient device of claim 34, wherein the patient device is wearablearound a patient wrist or a patient neck, and wherein the patient deviceincludes a button for urgent requests and a button for non-urgentrequests.
 39. The patient device of claim 34, the display further fordisplaying a message to the patient in response to the patientinitiating a request when a context of the patient's initiated messagesuggests the patient would benefit from receiving the message.
 40. Thepatient device of claim 39, wherein a message selected from the groupconsisting of “Please, do not get out of bed by yourself”, “You are atgreat risk of falling” and “Someone is on the way to help you” isdisplayed in response to the patient's initiated message if thepatient's initiated message is one of the group consisting of “get outof bed”, “go for a walk”, “go back to bed”, or “go to the bathroom” whenthe patient is at high risk for falling.
 41. The patient device of claim34, wherein a message generated by a patient is routed to an initialprovider based on both the context of the message and the provider'sskill level, and wherein the message can be automatically re-routed toanother provider of like skill level based upon a predeterminedthreshold having been reached, wherein the threshold is a programmablenumber of unacknowledged requests, outstanding requests or unfulfilledrequests of the initial provider/recipient.
 42. The patient device ofclaim 41, wherein the provider's skill level is selected from the groupconsisting of registered nurse, nurse assistant, physician and mixturesthereof.
 43. The patient device of claim 34, wherein a message generatedby a patient is routed to an initial provider based on both the contextof the message and the provider's skill level, and wherein the messageis automatically re-routed to another provider of different skill levelbased upon a predetermined threshold having been reached, and whereinthreshold is a programmable number of unacknowledged requests,outstanding requests or unfulfilled requests of either the initialprovider/recipient or other providers/recipients of like skill level.44. The patient device of claim 43, wherein the provider's skill levelis selected from the group consisting of registered nurse, nurseassistant, physician and mixtures thereof.
 45. The patient device ofclaim 34, the display further for providing the patient with more thanone contextually specific nurse call request, whereby more than onerequest can be active simultaneously, whereby the recipient of suchrequest may be notified of the context of each request with a pluralityof requests; whereby the initial recipient of each request can be routedor automatically re-routed based on the context of each message, theskill level required to fulfill each request, the skill level of therecipient and the number of unacknowledged requests, outstandingrequests or unfulfilled requests of the initial provider/recipient. 46.The patient device of claim 34, wherein a message generated by a patientis routed to an initial provider based on both the context of themessage and the provider's skill level and wherein the message ismanually reassigned by the recipient to another provider from theirreceiving device or from another device that displays the message. 47.The patient device of claim 46, wherein the provider's skill level isselected from the group consisting of registered nurse, nurse assistant,physician and mixtures thereof.
 48. The patient device of claim 34,wherein a message generated by a patient is routed to an initialprovider based on both the context of the message and the provider'sskill level, and wherein the message is manually reassigned to anotherprovider from a central interactive display station.
 49. The patientdevice of claim 48, wherein the provider's skill level is selected fromthe group consisting of registered nurse, nurse assistant, physician andmixtures thereof.
 50. The patient device of claim 34, the display screenfurther for illustrating a context of each nurse call request bylocation, the type of request, level of urgency of the request, statusof request and type of provider that should first respond to the requestfor each patient, capable of organizing this information by providerand/or by patient room number and displaying this informationaccordingly, capable of providing nurse call request reassignment fromone provider to another.
 51. The patient device of claim 50, wherein thestatus of request is selected from the group consisting of unfulfilled,initiated, acknowledged, in-progress, transferred to another provider,fulfilled and mixtures thereof.
 52. A provider device for communicatingwith a patient device, the provider device comprising a display forlisting patients and requests, wherein the listing of patients is colorcoded based on context of nurse call request, provider currentlyaccountable to that request, and time since request was initiated andthe status of the request.
 53. The patient device of claim 52, whereinthe status of request is selected from the group consisting ofunfulfilled, initiated, acknowledged, in-progress, transferred toanother provider, fulfilled and mixtures thereof.
 54. The providerdevice of claim 52, further comprising a touch screen display ofpatients, the display organizable by urgency of request, by time elapsedsince initiated, by room number, and by assigned provider type.
 55. Theprovider device of claim 52, further comprising a touch screendisplaying a status of a nurse call request and an ability to choose torespond, and further providing for direct speaking communication into apatient room or sending a text message for display on a patient'sdevice.
 56. The provider device of claim 52, further providing for theprovider to change or update a status of a nurse call request.
 57. Theprovider device of claim 52, further comprising a touch screen whereby arecipient is able to redirect or transfer the request to anotherprovider if the recipient of the request is unable to respond.
 58. Theprovider device of claim 53, wherein any unfulfilled nurse call requestis automatically entered into and retained within a checklist accessibleand modifiable by the provider, and wherein the checklist is sortable bypatient, time due, and wherein the checklist enables generating ofprompts/reminders based on time due or manually scheduled times.
 59. Theprovider device of claim 52, further enabling providers to signalappropriate staff with both visual and audio queues on their devices asto the initiating provider's location.
 60. The provider device of claim52, further for displaying one of more of the presence of a patient intheir room using RFID, the presence of a patient in their bathroom usingRFID, the presence of a provider to determine if a provider has enteredthe patient room using RFID.
 61. The provider device of claim 60,further for modifying the status of a call light request when theprovider is the active recipient for the patient's active call lightrequest.
 62. The provider device of claim 60, further for updating thestatus or type of provider making rounds when a provider has entered theroom who is one of assigned to or qualified to perform patient rounds.